


Midnight Talks

by OccidensdeLuna



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Night Terrors, One Shot, Platonic Cuddling, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:07:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccidensdeLuna/pseuds/OccidensdeLuna
Summary: It was heartwarming, being able to cause a reaction other than crying and running away in fear. While he may never be an inherently good person, the prince was slowly but surely learning that maybe he wasn’t all bad either. I think Uncle would be proud of me, Zuko idly thought to himself, enjoying the warmth that came from being so close in proximity to another person, absentmindedly shifting so that their shoulders rested on each other.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 78





	Midnight Talks

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely not an accidental continuation of my other piece, but at the same time this may or may not be a stand alone? I'm confused as well, but I thought it was time for something a little more comforting.

“ _You were supposed to love me!_ ” Zuko shouted, hot tears pricking at golden eyes, burning with the fury that comes with years of loneliness. His mother’s face seemed to fade in and out, as if a thick mist lay between him and her, and the prince could barely make out the movement of her lips, words lost in the void that encompassed her body. Her silence infuriated him even more, needing some sort of reason as to why she left, why she abandoned a child to fend for himself against the Fire Lord. It was when Zuko realized he couldn’t remember how exactly he got into this mist laden world was when his anger started to melt away in place of confusion. His one sided argument forgotten entirely, the young prince began to wander through this new world he seemed to have gotten himself lost in, and as his familiar friends, fear and isolation curled their icy tendrils around his heart, the ground underneath his feet started to crumble away until it was just the black void, and Zuko falling down, down, down… 

◆ ◆ ◆

Zuko sat up in a cold sweat, hands shaking as he hugged himself tightly to try and calm down from the nightmare. The others seemed to be sleeping happily, unaware of their surroundings or any dangers that might be near. It had been many years since the ravenette had been able to simply fall asleep and stay asleep. When his dear mother left, Azula would often play pranks on him while he slept, making Zuko learn to take naps whenever he could, rather than brave it through an entire night, and while he loved Uncle… Well, the snoring did tend to keep him up at night, no matter how much Iroh insisted that it wasn’t him. Looking at the Avatar and his friends reminded Zuko of the times in which it was his only goal to capture him, and getting that glimpse into what his life would be like living on that island with his “family” was more horrific than any of his escapades on his own combined. Sighing, the prince - though that title didn’t feel right anymore either - wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and quietly made his way out of the clearing that the Avatar had chosen, and towards the small creek that softly burbled on the edge of the glade. Zuko felt most himself at night, not having to meet any expectations or worry about saying the wrong thing or somehow upsetting those around him, though without the sun lighting up the sky he did feel more vulnerable. He often wondered if this was how non-benders felt on a daily basis, but had the better sense not to ask, having at least that much common sense. It was when he saw another figure sitting on a fallen and murmuring things under their breath did the ravenette feel his heartbeat start to quicken and out of habit reached behind his back for his dueling swords, silently cursing himself when he was welcomed with nothing more than his back. 

“Show yourself.” Zuko growled, lowering his jaw so that his voice would come out lower and with any luck scare off whoever chose to skulk around near their camp.

“Hey, hey it’s just me.” The figure turned around, moonlight lighting them from behind. With his hair down, he was almost unrecognizable from behind, though his voice gave him away.

“Sokka, I could have killed you, which means Katara would then finally have a reason to kill me,” The firebender crossed his arms over his chest, and walked to where the brunette was sitting, perching himself on the smoothed wood, “What are you doing awake anyway? We rely on your instincts.” 

Sokka laughed softly, nudging the other with his elbow, before quieting himself, “I can only see her at night…”

Zuko looked up, golden eyes a more pale yellow with the silver moonlight illuminated them. The two young men sat in silent agreement, heads both tilted up to gaze with equal longing up at the sky. The firebender’s smile faded, feeling as though he could almost recall a dream from long ago but couldn't find the words to explain why. Stars waltzed together, keeping the moon company as she shone down upon them, her pearlescent glow washing over the two young men like the sea over powder soft sand. A gentle gust of wind kissed their skin, sending shivers down their spines, and the ravenette shifted closer, and draped a corner of his blanket, warmed by his body heat around Sokka, who smiled gratefully, cozying up closer.

“You would have liked her,” Sokka breathed, returning his gaze to the heavens, and sighing. The comedic lilt to his voice was worlds away, leaving behind a yearning lover. Zuko glanced to his right, studying his companions face in the dim light, “Don’t tell Suki, but… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over her. I fell in love with the Princess the moment I saw her, and have fallen deeper with every glance I can steal.”

“You told me about her… How she sacrificed herself to save the moon spirit,” The firebender bit his lip, embarrassment making his cheeks flush a pale pink as he remembered how awkward he had been when Sokka had first mentioned her, “My Uncle always told me about how if you have a connection to something, or in this case someone, there’s a chance you’ll be able to meet them in the spirit world. It’s not a guarantee, but it does give some sense of comfort, wondering if after you die you’ll be able to be reunited with the ones you lost.”

“You’re lucky you had him, you know that?” Sokka bumped his shoulder against the firebender, sapphire eyes falling from the sky to his friend’s.

“That’s what everyone says, how lucky I am. Lucky to be born, lucky to be prince, lucky to be alive. Well I don’t feel lucky. Everything I do, I somehow hurt someone and no matter how far I run I will never be free of my father's shadow. He made sure of that.” Zuko’s fingertips brushed underneath his left eye, feeling the uneven surface of his scar.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Anything by it? Nobody ever does.”

“No, I’m sorry that you were alone,” The water tribe boy said, pulling away enough to look his companion straight on, “I know what it’s like to lose a parent. Try as Katara might, she will never be mom. I’m supposed to be the one that takes care of her, because I’m her older brother, but it seems like she’s the one who’s always pulling me out of trouble and I just have to stand back and let her take care of me.”

“Oh… I’m always trying to get away from my sister, so I can understand where you’re coming from but I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to protect Azula. If anything, the urge to absolutely obliterate her smug little face off the face of this planet has only grown over the years.”

To that, Sokka laughed, which in turn startled the ravenette. Sokka quieted down a bit, though every moment or so would chuckle softly under his breath. Zuko merely smiled, shaking his head at how easily it was to make the water tribe boy happy. It was heartwarming, being able to cause a reaction other than crying and running away in fear. While he may never be an inherently _good_ person, the prince was slowly but surely learning that maybe he wasn’t all bad either. _I think Uncle would be proud of me,_ Zuko idly thought to himself, enjoying the warmth that came from being so close in proximity to another person, absentmindedly shifting so that their shoulders rested on each other.

“Hey, you’re not getting all soft on me now, are you Zuko?” The water tribe boy teased, looking to the other’s face, before all laughter died out completely when he saw tears streaming down the prince’s face, almost crystalline in the moonlight, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry for being so rough on you, I didn’t mean anything by it.” When the firebender saw that the other was starring, his hand immediately shot up to roughly scrub away the offending show of emotion.

“I-It’s not that, I just miss her. Every night I dream I lose her and I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see her again. I hate my father. I hate that he made her leave me, but I know that it’s my fault because I’m the reason and I don’t know who to blame anymore, so I just blame it on myself and everything feels like it’s somehow my fault even though logically I know that it isn’t and…” Zuko rambled, feeling his words start to meld into one another as he got deeper into his monologue, and when the other boy was silent for a moment too long, guilt welled up in his stomach. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t get to talk about this much, do you? I know it feels like your fault, but your mother made the decision to save your life. That’s what mom’s do, or at least that’s what mine did. You need to realize that when someone chooses to protect you, they are doing it because they want to not because you’re holding a fireball to their head. You need to learn how to forgive yourself. I know I’m just the meat and sarcasm guy, but I can provide wisdom on the rare occasion.” Sokka smiled warmly, wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulders. At first, the firebender’s instinct reaction was to tense and pull away but after a moment of the others unrelenting presence, melted into the touch, feeling his anxiety ease up on his chest a little.

“I’m sor… Thank you.” Zuko corrected himself, knowing that if he was ever going to learn how to appreciate not only others but himself, being aware of how self deprecating he was would be a good start, or at least an easy way to ease into it all. “I do enjoy our talks. It’s different from what I’m used to. I don’t have to decode what you’re saying like Uncle, and I don’t get that queasy feeling in my chest like I do everytime Azula even looks at me. I wish we could have been friends sooner, although I don’t think you would have liked me very much when I was younger.”

“You’re right, I didn’t like you. Not in the slightest. You sucked,” Sokka teased, leaving the other to flash a shy smile at his knees, “But you’re alright now, and I’m really glad we have another guy in the group, because try as Aang might, he just doesn’t get some things yet. I don’t know if he’ll ever really get it like we do. I mean, he lost the monks but he didn’t go through losing his mom like we did. He ran away from his problems, but we had to face them head on. Water and fire are the same in that sense. We don’t bend to the will of others, we take up as much space as we can get.”

“First of all, ouch. Second, you’re not a bender… But, yeah, I get your point. When Uncle taught me how to harness lightning it was through practicing and studying waterbending technique that I could really understand how it worked. I think that’s why we work so well together. I noticed it at Boiling Rock, how we might not agree on everything, but it just works. I think it’s because we get each other. It took awhile to get here, but I think that’s why our bond is even stronger. We had to fight to appreciate and respect each other.”

The moonlight reflected against the small creek, sending an array of shimmering lights against the bank and into the young men’s sleepy eyes. The hushed song of water dancing over smoothed rocks had begun to lull them both into a more relaxed state than when they had arrived, doing what water does best and washing away the tension that held up both of their shoulders. The rippling laughter of running water had a nostalgic effect on both. For Sokka, even though he lacked the ability to waterbend, the element still held power over his troubled mind and reminded him of home and days long since passed. For Zuko, though it reminded him of his time as a banished and dishonoured prince, water brought back memories of his days with Uncle, reminding the ravenette of how lost he felt without Iroh. With each passing moment and breath, Sokka and Zuko’s bodies began to slump against each other more and more, until the firebender’s sleepy head fell to the others shoulder, lips parted softly. Sokka, just barely more awake than his companion, smiled wearily, and fought back every urge that sleep held against him to keep his eyes open and looked up at his moon for just a little longer until he too finally slumped against the other. The moon stayed awake longer than both, her silver eyes aimed at the young men, gentle glow protecting them for another night until the sun crept above the horizon line, warming all it touched and birds began chirping into the open dawn. However, drained from the night only hours before, Sokka and Zuko remained dead to the world, the firebender’s head now fallen into the other’s lap while Sokka lay draped over his friend’s torso, one arm wrapped tightly around his chest. For the first night since his mother’s disappearance, Zuko’s dreams were no longer plagued by his mother’s apparating figure, melting in and out of his sight like the rolling fog on an ocean coastline.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Aww, look at them snuggling! They’re so cute.” Katara cooed, crouching down beside the two sleeping figures, running her hand through her brother’s hair. She glanced down at the ravenette, her lip twitching up for a moment before giving Sokka a gentle nudge to wake him up, “Rise and shine, you two, before Toph wakes up and “sees” you.”

Sokka and Zuko opened their eyes slowly, taking a moment to situate themselves before realizing the position they were in. Zuko jerked away first, stumbling to a standing position and running his hands through his dark mess of hair, blushing profusely, while the other boy simply sat up and laughed to himself before getting to his feet. Katara, with her hands on her hips, starred both of them down, before shaking her head and gesturing back to their campsite, making her way to where Aang and Suki were doing their morning meditations, leaving the two young men alone.

“Not a word.” Zuko mumbled, gnawing on the inside of his cheeks, shifting uncomfortably where he stood, and glaring to a smirking Sokka.

“Aw, come on, not a good morning kiss? Please?” The water tribe warrior closed his eyes and pursed his lips, pretending to makeout with the air, before feeling a firm shove in the center of his chest and saw his friend pouting, brow furrowed.

“Good talk, Sokka. Really. It felt nice to be able to actually connect to someone.”

Without a word, the brunette lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Zuko, and held him in a deep embrace for a long moment, and smiled when he felt the hug be returned. When the two pulled away, there was a beat of silence, before the two nodded at each other and quietly made their way to the campsite. Katara gave the two a knowing smirk, but didn’t say anything as she prepared breakfast, tossing the leftovers to Appa and Momo. Aang bounded up to Zuko first, and then eyed Sokka up and down, and for a moment it seemed like a thought of suspicion was formulating in his head before the look of concentration was replaced with relief when a hungry gurgle roared from the Avatar’s stomach. The monk gave a sheepish grin, making his way to the table to start on breakfast, with Sokka following suit. Zuko stood still for a moment, taking a long breath, before hearing his name called out from a very disgruntled looking Toph. 

“Come on, Zuko, you don’t need an invitation _every_ time we do something as a group.” The blind girl shouted, snapping the firebender out of his head, who smiled at the gesture.

“Yeah, yeah, be right there.” Zuko grinned, the sharp pain in his chest that had been ever present, hovering in the back of his mind since his mother left, fading away to give way to something much lighter and welcoming. Looking out at not just one person who accepted and respected him, but four, somehow made all of sleepless nights imagining terrible endings be forgotten, if only for a moment. But this moment was enough, because for once in his life Zuko didn’t feel like breaking down into tears or screaming into the sky for all of the times he was hurt, and for the life of him, he couldn’t get himself to stop smiling.


End file.
